Local players win tournament with Chateauguay

Center Phoenix-Reign White and defender Apollo McComber are a part of the U11A Chateauguay Cavaliers team that came back from their trip to the Toronto area with a championship banner.

The group won the East Gwillimbury Minor Hockey Association (EGMHA) Winter Classic for their age group on January 4.

“I was really proud about it. Me and my team, we passed a lot. That’s how you win, you pass. That’s how you make the good plays,” said White.

“We played as a team, we were winning by a lot, so we had to make three passes before taking a shot. We were all working together to make sure everyone on the team got a goal. It was so much fun to be with my team all weekend and win it together,” said McComber.

The reason for that pass rule is due to confusion regarding the strength of the teams in the tournament, which made it so the Cavaliers played against badly outmatched teams, explained Pierre-Olivier Genest, head coach for the Cavaliers.

The naming of categories is not consistent with the way they are named in Quebec, he said, meaning their A team is not at all the same strength as the House League A teams that played in the tournament, he said.

As a result, they went undefeated, won 20-0 twice, and took the finals by a score of 15-2.

“After the tournament, we talked to other parents of a higher-level under-13 team, and they had the same issue with one of the teams that came two hours from Toronto. They went there and they wiped the category like we did,” said Genest.

“We went to the tournament management to ask them what was happening. But the only answer we received is that the group of players around here are not quite as good as your group of players; we should have put you in maybe a higher category, but now it’s too late.”

Genest said he turned what could have been a negative situation into a learning opportunity for the players.

“This is one of the best and might be one of the unique opportunities that you will have in your career to understand what humility is like when you’re facing teams that are much worse than you,” said Genest.

“They went to the other team and congratulated them, and having this picture at the end together after they won, that meant something to them, even if the competition was not there. So, I think they have learned a lot.”

At the end of each game, the team presented the player of the game award, which came with goodie bags, to the opposing goaltender, to congratulate them for their efforts.

Apart from one team that did complain and showed poor sportsmanship during the round robin portion, he said that it was still an overall fun tournament for the Cavaliers, and they tried to make it fun for their opponents, too.

“They were really enjoying playing against us, because they never played against a team as good as we are,” said Genest.

It was also a good opportunity for the players to experience something unique, bonding together on the furthest trip they have taken all together – the Cavaliers normally only play teams in Quebec.

White and McComber both said they enjoyed getting to stay at a hotel with a pool, play with their friends off the ice, and take in some of what Toronto had to offer – including a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“They had a lot of fun to see the Stanley Cup, all these jerseys, sticks, that meant something to them. They were really impressed by it,” said Genest.

This is White and McComber’s first year in U11 with the Cavaliers, but Genest is already impressed with them on and off the ice.

“Seriously, for me, these two kids are amazing. I couldn’t have asked for better players,” said Genest.

“They’re so coachable. When I’m talking, they’re here to learn, and they’re really trying to get better.”

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